What Should We Expect from Courtney Lee?
While Jason Terry received the bulk of the fans' hate after failing to back up lofty preseason promises, Courtney Lee was quietly Boston's most disappointing off-season acquisition.
During the offseason, Celtics fans lauded Danny Ainge for picking up the 27-year-old swingman in a sign-and-trade with Houston. After Lee logged only 39 minutes in the entire 1st round series against The Knicks, it looks like there's a reason Houston was willing to deal him.
Courtney Lee is an active defender and a good fastbreak player, but he has to have a great ball-handler next to him to be effective. There were times where he'd finally start to click with Rondo on outlet layups and open 3s, but there were literally dozens of games in which he was unnoticeable. He shot a strong 46% from the field and 86% from the line, and though he did get his 3-point% up to 37% after an early slump, he did not provide the long-rage firepower we were all expecting.
Lee has played for 4 teams in his 5 professional seasons, but he probably won't be packing his bags for a new destination this summer. After a great rookie year as a part of Orlando's Eastern Conference-winning season, he's never had a chance to find his niche in the league. If he becomes more comfortable with his teammates and Doc River's system, he could very well carve out a solid role next season. That being said, Lee has a ton of work to do if he wants to be remembered as anything more than a disappointment.
What do you think about Courtney Lee? Can he turn it around next season or is this about as good as it's going to get? Sound off in the comments below.
Follow Jacob on Twitter @TheReelJZ
During the offseason, Celtics fans lauded Danny Ainge for picking up the 27-year-old swingman in a sign-and-trade with Houston. After Lee logged only 39 minutes in the entire 1st round series against The Knicks, it looks like there's a reason Houston was willing to deal him.
Courtney Lee is an active defender and a good fastbreak player, but he has to have a great ball-handler next to him to be effective. There were times where he'd finally start to click with Rondo on outlet layups and open 3s, but there were literally dozens of games in which he was unnoticeable. He shot a strong 46% from the field and 86% from the line, and though he did get his 3-point% up to 37% after an early slump, he did not provide the long-rage firepower we were all expecting.
Lee has played for 4 teams in his 5 professional seasons, but he probably won't be packing his bags for a new destination this summer. After a great rookie year as a part of Orlando's Eastern Conference-winning season, he's never had a chance to find his niche in the league. If he becomes more comfortable with his teammates and Doc River's system, he could very well carve out a solid role next season. That being said, Lee has a ton of work to do if he wants to be remembered as anything more than a disappointment.
What do you think about Courtney Lee? Can he turn it around next season or is this about as good as it's going to get? Sound off in the comments below.
Follow Jacob on Twitter @TheReelJZ